Electrical-service-cut-out seal.



W. W. GIVOL HECTRICAL SERVICE CUT-OUT SEAL- APPLICATION FILED AUG.I6, 1915/ 1,243,283. Patented Oct. 16, 1917.

Wm. W 611/01.

TES PATNT WILLIAM W. GIVOI, 0F OMAHA, NEBRASKA.

ELECTBICAL-SERVICE-C IT-OUT SEAL.

Application filed August'lG, 1915. Serial No. 45,837.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM W. Givo'r, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Omaha, in-the county of Douglas and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrical- Service-Gut-Out Seals, of which the following is a specification.

My invention. relates to electrical distributing' means and especially to switchand fuse-blocks and the like. It is the object of my invention to provide a sim 1e, convenient and inexpensive means by w ich access to the fuse-plug sockets of an electrical circuit may be prevented, the sockets and terminals of the fuse-bloci being covered by acap of insulating material and the latter being kept in place by means such that it is necessary to break a seal in order to remove the same and secure access to the sockets. My device is intended especially for use by concerns supplying measured electrical service to their patrons, and enables the discontinuance of service on any particular circuit, as that supplying a dwelling or apartment, without the removal of the meter through which such circuit is supplied.

Means embodying my invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view-of a common form of sWitchand fuse-block, having my sealing device applied thereto, one side of the seal-cap being broken away. Fig. '2 is a side View of the same, Fig. 3 is a detail end view of the seal-cap, Fig. at is a detail showing the attaching-screw and seal-bar as viewed from above and to one side, Fig. 5 is a detail section on the plane of the line nz-a2 of Fig. l, and Fig. 6 is a detail bottom view of the sealcap.

In the structure illustrated, there is a baseblock 1 of insulating material such as porcelain, which is secured. to a support by screws 2 and 3 passing through suitable openings therefor in the block. At one end of the block there are terminals for connection ment with. contacts 12 which are suitably secured to the base-block. Between the blades 9 a flange or lip 13, integral with the baseblock, extends up to the level of the upper ends of the contacts 12. From said. contacts 12 connecting-bars 14 extend to and connect with the outer cylindrical portions 15 of fuse-plug sockets which are inclosed, except at the top and one side, by cylindrical flanges or lips 16 which extend up from and are integral with the base-block 1. At the bottoms of the fuse-plug sockets are contacts 17 which are insulated from the parts 15 but connected electrically with the terminals 6.

All of the foregoing parts constitute a typical, ordinary and well-known form of switch and fuse-block, and when the same is in use the parts 15 and 17 are connected electrically by fuse-plugs screwed into the sockets 15, said plugs serving to complete electrical con nections from the wires 5 and terminals 4- to the terminals 6 and wires 7.

lit is the ordinary practice in electric light ing and power distribution, when discontinuing service to a patron, to remove the meter on the circuit through which the patron is supplied. The removal of the meter, and its replacement when service on the circuit is to be resumed, is compa atively troublesome and expensive, and my invention provides a simple and convenient means by which the same may be avoided. In applying my invention to the form of fuse-block shown and above described, I provide a seal-cap of insulating material, the same having a flat plate-portion 18 adapted to extend across and cover the ends oi" the cylindrical flanges 16 which inclose and insulate the sockets 15. On the lower side or" the plate-portion 18 near one edge thereof are sen1i-cylindrical flanges or lugs 19 adapted to extend down into the sockets as shown in Fig. 5, and at the opposite edge of the plateportion 18 is a downwardly extending body 20 adapted to fit around the outer side or" the flanges 16, extending down nearly to the upper surface of the base-block 1. On the lower'edge of the body 20 adjacent to the terminals 6 are cylindrical lugs 21 which are adapted to extend into such proximity to said terminals 6 as to prevent access thereto when the scalcap is in place upon the. fuse-block; For securing the seal-cap place I employ a special attaching screw of which the lower portion 3 is essentially the same as the ordinary llU screws 2 used for attaching the fuse-block to its support. Said screw passes through an opening in the base-block 1 between the terminals 6, and the lower threaded portion of the screw enters the support for the block in the usual way. The head 22 of the attaching-screw is cylindrical and of such length as to extend up through an opening therefor in the seal-cap, the upper end of said head having the usual slot or kerf for engagement by a screw-driver. In the sides of the head 22, at the level of the upper surface of the plate-portion of the seal-cap, are two slots or rectangular notches adapted to receive the forked end-portions 28 of the seal-bar 24. On the end of the seal-bar opposite the forkportions 23 is an upturned lug 25 having a small transverse opening through it. On

the upper side of the plate-portion 18 of the seal-cap, near one edge thereof is a lug 26 having therein a transverse hole or opening at the same level as the hole in the lug 25 of the seal-ban The operation of attaching the seal-cap to the fuse-block may now be understood. When service upon the circuit supplied through the fuse-block 1 is to be discontinued, the fuse-plugs are removed from the sockets 15 and the seal-cap is then placed in position by passing it down over the head 22-of the attaching screw, so that the lugs 19 extend down into thesockets and the plate-portion 18 rests on top of the socketinclosing flanges 16. The forked end of the seal-bar is then engaged with the notches in the screw-head, the bar being freely slidable into the notches from a position such as that shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1. The bar and screw are then rotated until the lug 25 adjoins the side of the lug 26 on the seal-cap, as shown in Fig. 2 or by the full lines in Fig. 1, after which a seal-wire 27 is passed through the coincident openings of the lugs 25 and 26, and the ends of the wire secured together by a seal 28, as shown. When thus assembled the seal-bar and at taching-screw prevent removal of the sealcap, the seal-bar cannot be disenga ed from the screw without turning the lug 5 out of coincidence with the lug 26, and the sealwire prevents the seal-bar from being so moved. The fuse-plug sockets are covered by the insulating plate 18 and flanges 16. Access to the center contacts 17 of the sockets is prevented by the lugs 19, and access to the terminals 6 is prevented by the lugs 21 so that it is impossible to complete electrical connections between the terminals 1 and 6 without destroying the seal or removing insulation from the wires 7. When service is to be resumed on the circuit, it requires but a moment to remove the seal-cap and insert fuse-plugs into the sockets.

It may be noted that my scaling device is applicable to the ordinary types of electrical fixtures now in common use, and requires no change or alteration of the same except the replacement of an ordinary screw with one of my special screws having the elongated head 22. The seal-cap, being co-extensive laterally with the fuse-block, when a number of the fuse-blocks are mounted side by side the seal-caps may be applied to each of the fuse-blocks without interfering with portions adapted to extend into the sockets,

a member secured to the fuse-block and extending therefrom through an opening in the seal-cap and having notches in its sides adjacent to the side of the seal-cap opposite the fuse-blook, a bar engaging said side of the seal-cap and having portions entering the notches in said member to prevent displacement of the bar and cap longitudinally of said member, and a sealing device connecting said bar and the seal-cap to prevent lateral disengagement of the bar from the notched member.

2. The combination with a fuse-block having fuse-plug sockets and insulating flanges substantially inclosing the same, of a cap of insulating material adapted to cover said sockets and having portions adapted to extend thereinto, and means for sealing said cap onto the fuse-block, said means comprising a screw extending through the cap and block into a support, a seal-bar detachably connected with the screw and engaging the cap to hold the same upon the block", and a sealing device connecting said seal-bar and cap and preventing such movement, of the seal-bar as to detachthe same from the screw.

3. The combination with a fuse-block having fuse-plug sockets, of a seal-cap having portions adapted to extend into said sockets, a rotatable head extending through the seal-cap and integral with a screw securing the fuse-block to a support, a sealbar engaging said head and slidable transversely thereto, said seal-bar engagin the cap to retain the same upon the hea and fuse-block, a lug on the cap adapted to engage the end of the seal-bar to prevent displacement thereof transversely of the head, and sealing means connecting said bar and lug.

4. The combination with a fuse-block having fuse-plug sockets and adjacent terminals for connection with conductors, of a seal-cap of insulating material having portions adapted to fit into the sockets and other portions adapted to cover the terminals, the cap being coextensive laterally with the fuse-blockand having an opening extending perpendicularly to the block, a

' screw extending through the fuse-block into a support, said screw having an elongated head extending through said opening in the cap, a bar connected With said screw-head in fixed longitudinal and rotational relation 10 and slidable transverse relation thereto, said bar engaging said cap to prevent displacement thereof longitudinally of the screwhead, a lug on the cap, the bar being movable into proximity to said lug by rotation of the screw, and sealing means for securing said bar to said lug to prevent both transverse displacement of the bar from the screwhead and rotation of the screw.

WM. 'W'. GIVOT 

